On August 28th, 2011, Prattsville, New York was hit by the violent wrath of Hurricane Irene. Dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed as water climbed higher and higher. Among the ravaged was Young’s General Store, a third generation family owned hardware & feed business in Prattsville. We received a letter from Brian Young discussing the hardship his family has faced, and details of the fateful day in August when he watched his world crumble.

“In one swift swoop, our homes (both my parents and my own), cars, belongings and business were taken from us. The fact that I am even here to write this is a miracle. For 3 or 4 hours I clung to our shed roof with my parents, brother and our 3 dogs as we watched everything float away. While I was up on the roof I whispered to my brother one word, ‘morale’. We needed to stay positive while the wind and rain were making us shiver.”

That positive outlook kept the Young Family afloat facing the destruction of Hurricane Irene, and has remained vital in helping them rebuild their beloved business and store.

With no flood insurance and no help from the government, the Youngs have relied on the support of their community, vendors and partnerships they have built to help re-launch their business. Young’s General Store has been a long time customer of Bogs, and upon hearing their story, we wanted to show the Young Family our appreciation and support by supplying them with Bogs boots to help jump-start the rebuild of their new store in Catskill, NY, which is now open for business.

From one family business to another, we are sending well wishes to Young’s General Store and the entire Young Family as they embark on a new chapter. If you live in the Northeast, please be sure to pay them a visit!

Bogs is always happy to help out when we can by providing hard-working footwear to those in need – especially for use in natural disaster relief efforts. To submit your request, please send us an email: pr@bogsfootwear.com.
 

As the days get longer and the sun shines brighter, there’s nothing like getting outside and spending some good, quality time in the dirt. Around here, we’re definitely of the mantra that a weekend spent planting, digging, weeding and watering is one well spent. In fact, just a few weeks ago, we stopped by Woodhaven School in Beaverton, OR for a volunteer day where we worked in the garden, planted natives and removed invasive plants from the outdoor campus.

When tending to your garden, there’s nothing like a few tips and tricks from friends to really make it flourish. We recently asked our Facebook community to teach us a thing or two about their green thumbs, and the responses were incredibly helpful.

Here are just a few of our favorite responses, you can check out the whole list on our Facebook page:

• “For tomatoes (not the pasting varieties): cut off all the leaves below the top 3. The plants will grow much bigger and produce a lot more fruit.”—Richard

• “For home gardens instead of digging down, it's much easier to build up (just build a simple frame) and that way you can put new soil or better yet compost down to grow great veggies!!! And if you have kids they can be very helpful at watering and weeding...just be sure to show them which ones are weeds first, lol!!” –Kimberly

• “Put crushed seashells around your raised beds to help keep the slugs away!”—Amy

• “I've planted inch sq's of flower styrofoam in my garden just to keep it moist while on vacation.”—Mike

• “I love organic food but they're very expensive. So, I plant my own organic plants! I fill my compost heap with kitchen waste such as water that I use to clean fish, dead leaves, grass clippings and other organic matter that will rot down to fertile humus instead of using chemical fertilizers. These are all gold for my garden.” –Jeevon

• “Marigolds planted in the corners of my raised beds keep the rabbits out and stops their constant nibbling.” –Karen

Everyone who submitted a tip was entered to win a $100 gift card to BogsFootwear.com, and our lucky winner, chosen by Random.Org, is Ashley LM! Her tip was:

• "Have your children help with the garden! They love to remind you when to water and can't wait to grow lots of goodies to pick and eat! I am teaching mine the love of growing their own food St an early age!"

Congratulations, Ashley!
 

Dan Lehrer and Joanne Kruger have been farming enthusiasts for decades. After years of farming in their Berkeley backyard, the couple took a leap of faith and bought an apple orchard in 1999. They converted their new land to organic, planted several new apple varieties and built three greenhouses where they began growing edible, native and rare plant starts. Flatland Flower Farm was born.

Several years later, the farm continues to thrive and serve up organic vegetable, herb and flower starts as well as dry-farmed, organic, heirloom apples. This season, the farm is featuring two types of rare tomatoes, one brought home from the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius, near Naples, Italy. The Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvi is known as the Mt. Vesuvius Cherry Tomato at Flatland Flower Farm and packed with flavor. The other is the Blue Tomato with a taste like it has been smoked on the barbeque. On the farm, they call it Smokey Blue.

By growing their plants organically, Dan and Joanne say, “we produce stronger, healthier plants that are typically more disease-resistant and pest-resistant than their chemical-dependent counterparts.” Growing organically also assists their company goal of, “providing great plants and apples for gardeners and eaters in the Bay Area.”

Flatland Flower Farm describes itself as a small family farm and nursery in the hills of Sebastopol, CA, “We started out as a backyard business and are still a backyard business! We just have a bigger backyard now.” And, thanks to their bigger backyard, the farm hosts great events throughout the year. The annual barbeque and plant sale is on May 6, 2012--right around the corner! There will be good food, music and the best selections of plant starts for you to take home.

Bogs fans in the Bay Area, be sure to check it out!

*Dan is wearing the Bogs Tillamook Bay
 

This spring Bogs is excited to give back to the Woodhaven School – an outdoor school where kids truly learn from Mother Nature (rain or shine!)

Woodhaven School was formed by a small group of parents that wanted to create a nurturing environment for their young children. The six founding families envisioned a haven that embraced the wonder of childhood, encouraged boundless imagination, and supported the unhurried, open spirit of a child.

Since doors opened in 1994, Woodhaven’s mission has been to provide a nurturing and stimulating experience for all 35 of its students, to foster a lifelong love of learning and exploration, and to promote humanitarianism and environmental awareness.

On Saturday, April 14th, Bogs staff will take on the mud and dirt in an outdoor work party to aid Woodhaven School, working in the garden planting natives and removing invasive plants all over their property. Our efforts planting will help kids understand the process of growing a plant and all the elements needed – earth, water, and sunlight. Removing invasives will open up the woods to more space for imaginary play (and protect the little ones from Ivy and Blackberry bushes). Work parties at Woodhaven School are an important way of demonstrating how beneficial it is to work in a cooperative, where everyone helps maintain the school grounds and enjoys the company of other classmates and their families’ while spending time outdoors.

And, while the weather in mid April may be up for grabs, it won’t matter – because we will have our Bogs on - and every Woodhaven volunteer present that day will receive a new pair of Bogs to keep their feet happy too.